Talking machine



Nov. 30; 1937.

c. coLLARo T AL 2,100,686

TALKING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 16, 1953 NOV. 30, 1937. c. CQLLARQ ET AL 2,100,686

TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 RTTORIVEY Nov. 30, 1937. LLA ET AL 2,100,686

TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 wmyrms: m ma WMTTORNE) Nov. 30, 19371 c. COLLAI-IQQ ET AL- TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, I953 NOV. 30,1937. COLLARQ ET AL 2,100,686

I TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, 1933 7 sh ets-shet s Nov. 30, 1937. LLAR Er A 2,100,686

- TALKING MACHINE Filed Au 16, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Fig.7.

Fig. 12.

Patented Not. so, 1937 UNITED STATES 'TALKING MACHINE a Christopher Collaro London, and Desmond George England Lewin, Hawdenbury, Tunbridge Wells,

Application August 1c, 1933, Serial No. 685,452

In Great Britain August 19, 1932 16 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic. talking machine mechanisms. Automatic talking machines, whether combined with radio receivers or not, suffer generally from the disadvantage that it is either necessary to provide them with a stack of selected records, which must then be played in the order in which they are arranged in the stack, or the casing must be opened after each record has been played in order to put the next record in position. It is an important object of the present invention to avoid the necessity of choosing between these two actions. Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism that can be covered by a. casing which need never be opened for the purpose of changing a record or supplying the mechanism with records. A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism in a casing which need not even be opened for the purpose of changing the needle in the pick-up or sound box.

An important feature of the invention consists in building the mechanism into a casing having a lateral opening through which the record is inserted and removed, so that, in order to play the record, it is not necessary to open the lid of a casing as is necessary in. talking machines at the present time. Thus, in such constructions according to the invention, a unit comprising a casing containing one of the novel mechanisms may be placed permanently beneath and constitute a stand for a radio receiver.

When a construction is provided in which the lid of the casing is not intended to be opened atall for the purpose of applying a record to the turntable 'or removing it therefrom, it is still desirable to change the needle in the pick-up or sound box periodically. In order to allow of this the arm carrying the pick-up or sound box (hereinafter called the pick-up arm) is controlled according to the invention by a mechanism which permits the arm to move laterally away from the turntable and through an opening in'a side wall reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which:- I v I Figure 1 shows a perspective view of acasing containing themechanism, which is mounted in part on top of and in part on the undersldeof a plate or motorboard; a I

Figures 2 and 2a show a horizontal section through the casing taken above the motorboard;

Figures 3 and 3a show a horizontal section through the casing taken below the mqtorboard and looking upwards;

Figures 4 and 5 show views from ,7 below of part of the gate'when the record is entering and leaving respectively;

Figures 6 and '7 show details of the carrier arm and rocker bar respectively; V

Figure 8 shows a plan of the cam drum;

Figures 9 and 10 are views of the cam drum looking in the directions of the arrows IX and X of Figure 8 respectively; 7

Figures 11 and 12 are two views at right angl to one another, showing details of the pick-up arm;

Figures 13 and 14 illustrate details of the clutch mechanism; and

Figure 15 illustrates details of the mechanism by which the clutches are changed over.

The mechanism is mounted within a casing l which is normally completely closed except for a slot 2, but which is provided with a hinged flap 3 which, on being pulled outwards and downwards, leaves an opening through which the pick-up arm can be. swung outwards through the casing for the purposeof changing the needles. The casing I may advantageously be used to support an amplifier to which the pick-up may be connected and which may form part of a radio receiver.

The parts of the mechanism are mounted on both sides of a horizontal motorboard I.

The operator takes a record of any of the sizes for which the mechanism is adapted, and which in the present case are the; three sizes of 9 inch, 10 inch, and 12 inch, respectively. He then inserts this record through the slot 2' and. ow- 45 ing to the location of the slot, the record slides over the turntable. In Figure 2 the record and turntable are indicated in chain lines at 5 and 6 respectively. As the record 5 is inserted, it en- Hcounters a-gate in the form of two rollers I and 8 carried respectively by two pivoted arms 8 and III which are interconnected by a bar ll so that they open and close together. .The gate thus acts as a centralizing device. A plate I! (fig res 3a, 4, and 5) is mounted beneath the I swings with the arm.9 and the extent to which it swings depends upon the extent to which the gate is opened, which,- in turn, depends upon the diameter of the record that is pushed through the gate. The plate [3 is formed with three notches which cooperate with a spring-pressed pawl l2 to hold the gate open after it has been opened to the widest possible extent by the record 5, that is after the diameter at right angles to the direction of motion of the record has passed between the rollers 1 and 8. If the record is a 9 inch record, the pawl will engage the righthand notch of the plate 13 (as seen in Figures 4 and 5). If, however, the diameter of the record is 10 inches, the pawl will ride over the right-hand notch and engage the center notch. If a 12 inch record is inserted, the pawl 12 will engage the left-hand notch in the plate 13 (as seen in.Figures4 and 5). Thus the extent to which the gate is held open as a result of the insertion of a record depends upon the diameter of the record.

In addition to engaging the rollers 1 and 8, the record 5 also engages a trigger mechanism that has been holding a rocker bar l4. This trigger mechanism comprises a pin 15 carried by a pivoted arm 16 and having a pin and slot connection with a bar l1 that is pivotally connected to the pawl l2. The. pin I5 is engaged by the record and caused to bear against one arm of and rock a two-armed lever l8, the other arm of which is then withdrawn against a spring l9 from contact with the end of the rocker bar 14. The position which the two-armed lever l8 takes up after it has released the rocker bar I4 is shown by chain lines in Figures 3a and 4. The pin and slot connection mentioned above enables the pin I5 to move without influencing the pawl 12 at this stage of theoperations. When the record has moved past the pin 15, the arm 16 is returned by a spring 28.

The rocker bar 14 is biassed by a spring 21 (Figure 6) which surrounds a vertical rod 22 universally connected to the rocker bar at 23 (Figure '7). The end of the lever 18 constitutes a stop orabutment which prevents the rocker I .rocks about a pivot 24 from the full line position of Figure 7 to the chain line position. The rocker bar carries a pin 25 which enters a cam groove 26 around the periphery of a cam drum 21. At the moment of insertion of the record, the pin is lying at the point A (Figure 9) of the groove 28, and on the release of the rocker bar the pin moves vertically in the groove 26. The rod 22 is connected to one end of a twoarmed lever 28 pivoted at 29 me. carrier arm 38 which extends horizontally from a vertical stem I28, mounted to turn in a socket 3|. The other end of the lever 28 is connected to a. plunger 32 which descends onto thesmooth surface at the centre of the record 5. The contact of the plunger with the record prevents the pin 25 moving beyond the position 13 (Figure 9).'

Further manual insertion of the record brings the hole in the centre thereof into register with the plunger 32, so that the latter can descend through the hole onto the surface of the turntable, and thus the pin 25 can move into the position'C. The simultaneous rocking of the rocker bar 14 brings a projection 33 on the end thereof out of engagement with a bell crank 34 and allows the latter to rock under the influence of a spring 35 and so to close a switch 36 mount- "ed in a switch block 31 and included in the circuit of an electric motor 38. This motor therefore starts and drives a mechanism spindle 39, to which it is always clutched except when a record is being played.

The mechanism spindle 38 drives the cam drum 21 through a cogwheel 48 (Figure .3a) which meshes with teeth- 41 on the cam drum 21. The cam drum carries a crank 'pin 42 which engages a connecting rod 43, which is pivotally connected to one arm of a bell crank 44. This bell crank is fixed to the stem I28 of the carrier arm 38. The stem I28 projects through the motor board 4 (as shown in Figure 'I) and is connected to the bell crank 44 through the medium of a collar I21. Thus, as the cam drum 21 and connectin rod 43 move, the carrier arm 38 is swung to centre the record on the turntable. As the record reaches the centre of the turntable, the plunger 32 at the end of the carrier arm 38 drops into asocket 45 formed at the top of the turntable spindle 48. This movement is permitted by the I appropriate position for the size of the record.

The selector cam 58 co-operates with a pin 51 .on a selector bar 52 which is pivoted to the second arm of the bell crank 44. Aspring 53 urges the pin 5| into contact with the selector cam 58. When the cam drum 21 begins to rotate, the selector bar is moved, the movement being controlled by the selector cam 58. The selector bar is furnished with three steps 54 and, in accordance with the position of the selector cam 58, the appropriate step 54 is brought -into engagement with a pin 55 on an arm 55 rigid with the pick-up arm 41 and moves the ,pick-up arm inwards to the desired extent. tical movement of the pick-up arm is also necessary, and this is efi'ected through the medium of Vera thrust bar 51 guided to move in a straight line longitudinally and urged by a spring 58 into contact with a cam surface 59 on the cam drum 21. When playing is not proceeding, the pickup arm 41 is held up by a thrust rod 68 located within the pick-up column 6| (Figures 11 and 12). The thrust bar 51 engages a pivoted vertical member 82 carrying an adjustable abutment screw 63 for the thrustrod 68. When the pick-up arm 41 is due tobe lowered, the thrust bar 51 is allowed by the cam surface 58 to move towards the centre of the cam drum, and by this movement rocks the member 82 and abutment screw 83 so that the thrust rod 68 and pick-up arm 41 can drop. The needle in the pick-up is thus lowered onto the edge of the record.

It is as a rule necessary to exert a gentle lateral pressure on the pick-up arm for the pura pin 54 is provided on the thrust bar 51 to bear pose of causing the needle actually to enter the first sound groove on the record 5. Accordingly against a light blade spring 65"ca'rried by, the arm 56 that is rigid with the pick-up arm, and the cam surface 59 is so shaped that the thrust bar 51 continues to move after the needle has come into contact with the record. The blade spring 65 urges the arm 56 and thus the needle inwards, but yields as soon as the needle enters the first sound groove. Before the cam drum 21 stops rotating, the thrust bar 51 is moved away from the cam drum and thus releases the engagement between the blade spring 65 and the pin64. At this stage playing can begin, and it is therefore necessary, to declutcb the cam drum- 21 and clutchin the turntable spindle 46.

The clutch mechanism (Figures 13 and 14) comprises a clutch bar 66 mounted to rock about a pivot 61 and engaging two dog clutches 68 and 69 mounted respectivelyon the mechanism spindie 39 and the turntable spindle 46. The motor 38'drives these spindles 39' and 46 through the medium of a driving spindle l2 and two worms engaging worm-wheels 10' and 'II respectively. One of the worms is formed on the spindle I2 while the otheris coupled to the end of the spindle 12 by means of a flexible'member I22. It will be appreciated that, since the clutch bar 66 is mounted to rock, one spindle will always \be clutched in and the other will necessarily be declutched. The clutch bar 66 is permanently biased by a helical spring around the pivot 61- so that it tends always to clutch in the turntable spindle 46. However, the clutch bar 66 is normally prevented from clutching in the turntable spindle by the engagement of one arm 13 ofa bell crank with one surface of the cam drum 21. The other arm 14 of the bell crank is slotted to receive a pin 15 on the clutch bar 66, so that until the bell crank can rock about its pivot I6 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 14, the clutch bar-66 cannot rock to put in the clutch 69 on the turntable spindle 46. The cam drum 2! is formed with a slot or niche 11 located so that when the inward biasing of the pick-up is-complete and the thrust bar 51 has moved backwards a little, the slot 11 is brought into register with the arm I3, and the clutch bar 66 can rock. This rocking results in the mechanism spindle 39 stopping and the turntable spindle 46 rotating so that playing of the record proceeds.

The mechanism described is adapted for use with records having eccentric or run-off grooves entered by the needle at the end of the playing of the record, and it includes a stop mechanism of the tap-tap kind. This mechanism, which is shown in Figures 2 and 2a-comprises a member 18 in frictional engagement with a feeler I9 and having an arm 80 which is engaged by a pin 8| on an arm 82 rigid with the pick-up arm 41. As the pick-up arm moves inwards, the member 18 is turned and the feeler I9 moves with it, but is constantly knocked back about the frictional connection by a tapping arm 63 carried by the turntable spindle 46. The feeler I9 thus normally oscillates between the positions indicated by the double arrow in Figure 2 without actuat ing any other part ofv the mechanism. When,

however, the eccentric or run-off groove is en-.

tered, the feeler is moved suddenly inwards towards the turntable spindle so that a projection I23 on the feeler I9 moves far enough' to permit the end of a pawl 84, pivoted on a pivoted trigger 85, to be urged by a. spring 86 into a. notch 81 in the projection I23. On the next revolution of the turntable spindle 46, the tapping arm 09 moves the feeler .19 outwards again and the projection I23- thrusts the pawl 64 and the trigger .85 about the pivot of the latter against a spring 88. The trigger 85 then releases a two-armed lever '99 which is promptly swung about its pivot by a spring 90. The lever 89 is connected by a pin 9| passing through a slot 92 in the motor board 4to a link 93 connected to a lever 94 pivoted at 95 (Figure 15). This lever 94 isaccordingly swung into engagement with an eccentric 96 on the turntable spindle 46 and is looked as the latter rotates. The lever 94 carries a pivoted thrust bell crank .91, onea'rm of which is connected by a spring 98 to a pointon the lever 94, so that the otherarmofthe bell crank 9Itends always to project out at right angles to the lever 94. This arm thrusts against a projection 99 on a clutch-operating slide I00: and moves this to the right'as seen in Figure 15. Theslide I00'has a tail IOI which engages an arm I02 projecting up from the clutch bar 66, and accordingly the movement of the slide I 00 results in the clutch bar 66 being rocked over against the action of its spring to declutch the tumtable spindle 46: and

I00- moves. The latch I03 therefore holds the slide I00 and the clutch bar 66 in position'until the cam drum 21 has moved sufliciently to 'take the slot 'I'I out of register with the projection I3. The slide I00 is unlatched later by the engagement of a pin I05-on the thrust bar 51 with the tail I06 of the latch I03 and is returned by a spring I08.

The thrust bar 51 begins to move directly the cam drum starts again, and it serves to lift the pick-up arm 41. At the same time the pin moves from position F in the cam groove '26, which is the position in which it lies during the playing of the record, into position G, and accordingly the plunger 32 is withdrawnirom the socket 45. Until the plunger has been withdrawn, the carrier arm'30 must not be moved, and accordingly lost motion equivalent to rotation of the cam drum is provided between the crank pin 42 and the connecting rod 43. When this lost motion has been taken up, the carrier arm 30 moves the record 5 outwards. At the same time a claw I01 on theend of the selector bar 52 engages the pin 55 and'moves the pickup arm outwards. This claw is so shaped as shown that it does not prevent the pick-up arm being swung manually outwards through the opening left by the flap 3 when it is desired to change the needle, and yet" will engage the pin 55 whatever the inward positionof the pick-up arm may be when playing stops. As the record 5 moves outwards through the gate, it engages the pin I5 of the trigger mechanism and forces it in the opposite direction to that in which it was moved during the insertion of the record. This results as shown in Figure 5 in the bar I'I being moved and in release of the pawl I2, so that the gate closes after the record has passed through it.

As the cam drum returns to its starting position, it rocks the rocker bar I4 by virtue of the movement of the. pin 25 into position H, and allows the abutment formed by theend of the lever l8 to engage beneath and hold the rocker bar. Simultaneously, of course, the plunger is extracted from the hole in the record and the motor is stopped. Owing to the momentum of the parts, the pin moves from position H to position A after the electric motor has been cut out.

and carried by the thrust bar 51.

stop the playing of a record. This rod I I2 bears on a pin I H on the member 18 and thus turns the member. .In case the tapping arm 83 is in contact with the feeler 19 at the instant of turning of the member 18, an arm H1 upturned to engage the feeler I9 is provided. Thus the actions that lead to playing being stopped and the record ejected are initiated.

In order to ensure that the carrier arm 30 and plunger 32 shall be left in exactly the right position to engage the centre hole of the next record that is inserted, a spring H5 is provided to engage the connecting rod 43 in its outermost position and force it and the carrier arm inwards to take up any backlash.

Regulation of the speed of the motor is effected in the usual way through a regulator lever H5.

It will now be appreciated that with the mechanism of our invention, an that is necessary is to insert a record through the slot in the casing and push it inwards a little after it is initially engaged by the mechanism within the casing. The mechanism then performs the functions of centralizing the record on the turntable, playing it, and returning it when played through the slot into a position such that it can readily be pulled out by hand again. The same record may then be reinserted and replayed, or reversed so that the other side is played, or a fresh record may be inserted.

Although the preferred embodiment of our invention has been described in detail, we do not intend that our invention should be limited to this, but only by the scope of the appended claims which are to be construed as widely as the prior art will permit.

The terms pick-up or "repr0ducer are, of course, alternative terms and should be considered as equivalent elements.

We claim:

' 1. In an automatic talking machine comprising a permanently closed casing formed with a slotlike opening through which records may be fed into the casing by hand, a turn-table mounted within said casing and adapted to receive a record fed laterally on to its surface through said opening, mechanism within said casing having means for their actuation in sequence for delivering and centralizing said record on said turn-table and for returning said record through said opening casing for delivering and centralizing said record on its turn-table and for returning the record through the opening after it has been played, means within said casing for carrying through the playing of said record, and means and mechanism for actuating the aforesaid means synchronously or in time.

3. An automatic-talking machine mechanism in which the turntable and mechanism are mounted within and enclosed by a casing having a slotlike opening through which a record may be passed onto the turntable, and which includes a reproducer, mechanism having means for operating in sequence for automatically engaging the record on its insertion through the-slot, and conveying it to the centre of the turntable, and for automatically returning the record through theslot-like opening after the record has been played, means actuated by virtue of the engagement for automatically bringing the reproducer into position on the record, and means'for automatically removing the reproducer from the record at the end of the playing of the record.

, 4. An automatic talking machine mechanism in which an adjustable gate is disposed close to the turntable. in a position in which a record slid onto the turntable must pass through the gate, and means actuated by the engagement of the record with the gate for initiating and carrying through the operations of centralizing the record on the turntable, playing it, and removing it from the turntable at the end of playing.

. 5. An automatic talking machine including,

means for engaging a record, means for playing it, means for removing it when played imcluding two driven spindles and a driving spindle, means for alternately clutching and declutching the driven spindles to the driving spindle, means for permanently biasing the clutch of-one of the said spindles, means for moving the clutch mechanism against the bias, and a delay mechanism for temporarily holding it against the,bias action, and means for holding the clutch against the bias action after its release by the delay mechanism during a cycle of operation.

6. An automatic talking machine mechanism comprising in combination a casing formed with a lateral opening, a turn table mounted within said casing, said turn table being adapted to receive a record fed laterally on to its surface through said opening, means including a motor within said casing for carrying through theoperations of playing the record and returning it through the opening,-and a switch arranged to control said motor, and means operated by the insertion of a record through said opening for closing said switch so that said means are thereby set into operation.

7. An automatic talking machine mechanism comprising in combination a casing formed with a lateral opening, a turn table mounted within said casing, said turn table being adapted to receive a record fed laterally on to its surface through said opening. means, including a motor, within said casing for carrying through the operations of playing the record and returning it through the opening, a switch adapted to control said motor including a latch adapted normally to hold the switch open and so located relatively to said opening as to release said switch when engaged by a into a central hole of a record to beplayed by part of said mechanism within the said casing, said turntable being in position to receive a record fed laterally onto the surface of the turntable through said opening, mechanism including a carrier arm within said casing for automatically placing the record centrally on the turntable and for returning it to the said opening after it has been played, means for carrying through the operation oi playing the record after it is deposited on the turntable and before it is removed therefrom, and means for operating the first mentioned mechanism in sequence for placing the record and removing it. 5

9. An automatic talking machine mechanism comprising in combination a casing formed with a lateral opening, a turn table mounted within said casing, said turn table being adapted to receive a record fed laterally on to its surface throughsald opening, a carrier arm, a vertical plunger on said carrier arm, mechanism, actuated by the insertion'of a record through said opening for moving said plunger into contact with the record at a point suchthat further insertion of the record permits the plunger to sink through the central hole in the record, means, set into operation by the movement of said plunger through the central hole in the record, for automatically causing said carrier arm' to centralizesaid record on said turn table, .and for automatically initiating the playing of the record.-

10. An automatic talkingmachine mechanism according to claim 9 comprising linked pivoted arms, said'arms being so,arranged as to guide the record, when the latter is inserted through said opening, in a path such that the central hole in' the record passes to'a point beneath the plunger.

ii. In an automatic talking machine mechanism the combination of a carrier arm arranged to swing in a horizontal plane and fixed against vertical movement, a plunger carried by said carrier arm, means-for causing said plunger to sink the machine, means for causing said'carrier arm to swing a record engaged by said plunger to a central position on the turntable, a pick-up arm and mechanism interconnecting the pick-up arm and carrier arm so that, as the latter centralizes the record on the turntable, the pick-up arm is simultaneously moved to a position such that the edge of the record lies beneath the needle in the pick-up or sound box when the record is disposed centrally on the turntable.

12. In an automatic talking machine mechanism, a record carrying turntable mounted for rotation, means for rotating said turntable, means for playing a record when on said turntableincluding a pick up and means for removing the record when played, an adjustable gate including two linked arms inthe path of travel of the record as the latter is delivered to said turntable and moved proportional to the diameter of the record, means tor holding the gate in the position in which it is moved by the record, and means actuated by the gate for regulating the position of the pick up with relation to the record. 13. An automatic talking machine including -a turntable, mechanism operating in'sequence for carrying the record to the centre of. the turntable and for removing the record when it has been played, means for playing the record including a reproducer, an adjustable gate including two linked arms adapted to be opened by a record fed into the machine and to guide it in a straight path to said means for carrying the record, means for holding the gate in different positions of adjustment according to the extent to which the gate is opened by the record, and

means operatively connected to the gate for controlling the degree of movement of the reproducer.

14. An automatic talking machine mechanism in which the turntable and mechanical parts are mounted within and enclosed by a casing furnished with a slot-like opening through which records may be passed onto the turntable, means within the casing for intermittently rotating the turntable, means for placing the-record on the turntable and thereafter returning it to the slotlike opening, a motor for operating the mechanical parts, including means for transmitting the power of the motor to the mechanical parts in timed sequence for imparting movement to the record in placing it on the turntable and removing it therefrom and for operating the mechanical parts for including two linked arms in the path of travel of the record and mounted so as to be moved equal distances in opposite directions proportional to the diameter ot-the record, means for holding the gate in the position in which it is moved by the record, and means actuated by the gate for regulating the position of the pick-up with relation to the record.

162 In an automatic talking machine mechanism, rotatable means for holding a record, a

pick-up movable into and out of operative rela-.

tion to the record, a link and arms assembly comprising two arms mounted to rotate respectively about-parallel spaced .axes to receive a record inserted between them and to be swung about said axes in opposite directions bythe edge of said record, a link pivotally connecting said arms and operative to synchronize the movements of said arms, means cooperating with said link and saidarms to urge the said arms in directions opposite to that imparted to them by the record. and means operated by the link and arms assembiy cooperating with the pick-up to position the latter in operative relation to the record.

CHRISTOPHER COILARO. DESMOND G. LEWIN. 

